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Basic Structure and Utilisation Pattern of Bovine Stock in Different Agro-Climatic Zones of Assam, India

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Basic Structure and Utilisation Pattern of Bovine Stock in Different Agro-Climatic Zones of Assam, India International Journal of Interdisciplinary Research in Science Society and Culture(IJIRSSC) Vol: 1, Issue:2, (December Issue), 2015 ISSN: (P) 2395-4345, (O) 2455-2909 © IJIRSSC Basic Structure and Utilisation Pattern of Bovine Stock in Different Agro-Climatic Zones of Assam, India Dipali Baruah 1, Dr. Nisamani Kar2 1Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, Pragjyotish College, Guwahati, Assam. 2HOD, Department of Geography, Rajiv Gandhi University, Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh. ____________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACT : An attempt has been made through this paper to understand the structure and utilisation pattern of Bovine Stock for the state of Assam considering two parameters like Age and Sex composition,. This paper uses secondary data collected from the office of the Directorate of Agriculture and the Directorate of Veterinary services for two livestock census data i.e. 2003 and 2007. Data were analysed with the help of descriptive statistics and sex ratio has been calculated. Results indicated that there is a variation in the structure of this stock at district level. It is also seen that 40 percent districts of Upper Brahmaputra Valley and North Bank Zone have sex ratio in favour of male cattle. It is important to mention here that bovine sex ratio is measured by the index i.e. Number of male cattle to 100 female cattle. This is for keeping the economics and structural change required in Animal Husbandry. Remaining 60percent of the districts is reflective of better sex ratio in favour of female cattle. Keywords: Age- Sex Composition, Agro-climatic zone, Animal husbandry, Bovine stock _________________________________________________________________________________________ I. Introduction: Livestock is an integral part of agricultural economy of Assam. It plays an important role in the rural economy of the state. Trace back to the history animal rearing, it is found that animal rearing is an age-old practice of the state. The animals are reared for milk, meat and egg because these are the source of rich food and for ploughing the fields and carrying of carts etc. Livestock provides organic manure to the agricultural fields and generate income to the people engaged in this sector. Cattle, goat, buffalo are the important animals found in the region and there are sizeable sections of population engaged in livestock rearing for their livelihood. The state accounts for the country’s 3.36 percent of the livestock population that thrives upon 2.39 per cent of the total geographical area of the country. According to the 2007 livestock census, the state boasts of about 3.58 percent of the bovine population of the country. At present Assam carries103, 65,583 cattle and 5, 25,835 buffaloes comprising 5.52 percent of India’s cattle and 0.50 percent of India’s buffalo population. In spite of having this number of cattle and buffalo population, the state is facing acute shortage of livestock products due to the rapid increase in human population as well as rapid urbanization. www.ijirssc.in Page 38 International Journal of Interdisciplinary Research in Science Society and Culture(IJIRSSC) Vol: 1, Issue:2, (December Issue), 2015 ISSN: (P) 2395-4345, (O) 2455-2909 © IJIRSSC II. Objectives of the Study: The main objectives in this study are - 1. to analyse the structure and pattern of utilization of bovine that will help to understand the share of this stock in terms of draught power and milk yield in different agro-climatic regions. 2. to study the age and sex composition as well as composition of working cattle and buffalo in different agro-climatic zones. 3. to understand the structure and utilization pattern of this stock III.Study Area: Assam- the study area of the present research is unique in its location in the north-eastern macro region of India. The state approximately lies between 240N and 280N Latitudes and 900E and 970E Longitudes. Assam is bounded on the north by the Arunachal Himalaya and Bhutan, on the east by the states of Nagaland and Manipur, on the south by the states of Tripura and Mizoram and in the west by West Bengal, Meghalaya and Bangladesh. The state has an area of 78,438 sq. km which is 2.39 percent of the total area of the country [1]. Assam remains very important state of North-east India so far history and geography is concerned. Assam is a state with immense geographical and cultural variations. The state has diverse topography and various relief features and covered with marshy land, hundreds of wetlands, hills, rivers and river valleys. So land availability for habitation and agriculture is comparatively low and limited. Assam is already identified with four physiographic divisions [2] viz. the Brahmaputra Valley, the Karbi Plateau, The Barail and Southern Hills and Barak Valley. The land is fertile as it contains higher organic composition in which nitrogen concentration is more. Varieties of trees, plants and creepers are found in the study area. Paddy, mustard, wheat, sugarcane etc. are grown here. IV.Methodology : The present study involving bovine stock is based on secondary data collected from different offices like, the Directorate of Agriculture, the Directorate of Veterinary services (two livestock census data, i.e. 2003[3] and 2007 and Census of India. Data were compiled, tabulated and analysed with the help of descriptive statistics and sex ratio has been calculated. The various results arrived at are interpreted in a simple language and is supported by necessary figures, maps, graphs, etc. whenever necessary. V. Result and Discussion : a) Agro-Climatic Zones: Agricultural production of an area depends mainly on climate, soil, land holding size, and modern scientific techniques used in agriculture. The agricultural crops such as rice, www.ijirssc.in Page 39 International Journal of Interdisciplinary Research in Science Society and Culture(IJIRSSC) Vol: 1, Issue:2, (December Issue), 2015 ISSN: (P) 2395-4345, (O) 2455-2909 © IJIRSSC wheat, maize, pulses, mustard etc are primarily used as feed for the livestock. Climate governs the agricultural pattern of a place. Considering climate, topography, soil characteristics and the cropping pattern, the state is divided into six agro-climatic regions such as Upper Brahmaputra Valley, Central Brahmaputra Valley, Lower Brahmaputra Valley, Hill Zones, Barak Valley and North Bank Zones [4] . Fig . 1 Agro Climatic regions directly control the species to be adapted, Livestock Population, its utility pattern and also its future sustainability. Upper Brahmaputra Valley: This region includes Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Sibsagar, Jorhat and Golaghat districts. Season-wise average rainfall varies between 74.4 mm and1060 mm. Rice is the principal crop with sugarcane and mustard are other important crops that grown in the region. Central Brahmaputra Valley: This region encompasses Kamrup, Nagaon, and Morigaon districts. Season-wise average rainfall of the Central Brahmaputra Valley varies between 31mm in winter and1271 mm in summer. Rice, mustard, jute and pulse are the main crops of www.ijirssc.in Page 40 International Journal of Interdisciplinary Research in Science Society and Culture(IJIRSSC) Vol: 1, Issue:2, (December Issue), 2015 ISSN: (P) 2395-4345, (O) 2455-2909 © IJIRSSC the region. Lower Brahmaputra Valley: Lower Brahmaputra Valley stretches over Goalpara, Dhubri, Kokrajhar, and Bongaigaon districts. In this region, rainfall mainly occurs due to summer monsoon originated from the Bay of Bengal. The region is ideally suitable for rice, mustard, potato, wheat and jute cultivation because of fertile soils. Hill Zones: It includes Karbi Anglong and N C Hills. Average seasonal rainfall during monsoon season is about 719 mm. Shifting cultivation is practised in this region. Crops such as rice, sugarcane are cultivated in the region mainly for sustenance. Barak valley: Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj districts are included in Barak valley agro- climatic region. This region is also known for cultivation of rice and sugarcane. Average seasonal rainfall during monsoon season is about 1957 mm. The North Bank Zones: This agro-climatic region stretch over the district of Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Sonitpur, Darrang, Nalbari and Barpeta (newly formed district like Udalguri, Baska and Chirang are included here). Rice is the main crop of the region. Mustard and sugarcane are also grown there. b. Livestock with Special Reference to Bovine Stock According to flivestock census report ,2007 [5] of Directorate of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry, Assam there were 177.72 lakh livestock available in the state of which 58.3 percent are cattle and 3 percent are buffaloes. It is clear from the number and their body weight that these stock i.e. cattle and buffalos are the most important animal of the state. Though India is proud to possess as many as 28 pedigree cattle breeds and 10 buffalo breeds (ICAR)[6] evolved through time for their usefulness in different agro-climatic zones for ploughing, milk and dual purpose, Assam has no identifiable pedigree stock in the present context. The bovine stocks are poor and belong to the non –descriptive breed in the state of Assam [7]. Their milk yield and working capacity are low. Animal diseases are common in the state of Assam because of the prevailing hot and humid climate. It has been established that there is an inverse relation between high humidity and quality of bovine stock as much as positive relation between quality of grass land and quality of cattle. Hence, when one travels from North West to South East in the Indo Gangetic plain the cattle quality deteriorates with identifiable pedigree stocks in Rajasthan to only nondescript cattle in Assam [8]. There were 103.66 lakh cattle in the state (2007), out of which 96.8 lakh belongs to indigenous cattle and rest 6.9 lakh included in crossbreed cattle. At the district level, cattle concentration is found to be the highest in Nagaon (8.48lakh) and the lowest in Hailakandi (1.5 lakh).As far as buffalo population is concerned there were 5.26 lakh buffaloes in the state for the same period.
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